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ASHLEY STRUBLE Bachelor of Architecture Syracuse University | Class of 2026

Miami, FL alstrubl@syr.edu | 305-308-3165

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DISSASSEMBLY FACTORY ASSEMBLY

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CARVED PLATFORMS AND RETAINING WALLS

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MIGRATING TOWERS

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FRAMED ROOMS AND FRAMED HALLWAYS TIMBER RESEARCH CENTER

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STACKED COLUMN HOUSING WITH INBETWEEN COURTYARDS AND BRIDGE

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VIOLENCE UNNOTICED IN THE UNOTICED DOMESTIC SPACE

01 DISSASSEMBLY FACTORY ASSEMBLY Location: Syracuse, New York Studio: Year 4 - Semester 2 Software: Twinmotion

This project reframes architecture as a reversible system rather than a permanent object, using a modular triangular framework to organize structure and program. The building is composed of a repeatable unit that aggregates into a larger field, allowing the form to expand, contract, or reconfigure as needed. This logic is visible across all scales, from the structural grid and floor plans to the roof, creating a consistent relationship between part and whole.

The plans show how the system produces variation within order. While the triangular grid remains constant, spaces shift in size, density, and enclosure, allowing different programmatic conditions to emerge. Circulation is embedded within the field rather than imposed on it, creating a fluid spatial experience. Moments of compression and openness are generated through the aggregation of units rather than singular gestures.

The project is conceived as a layered assembly of prefabricated components, including surface layers, structural frames, and joints that can be removed or replaced. A custom folded triangular sheet metal beam increases span and strength while remaining lightweight. By folding flat sheet metal into a triangular profile, rigidity is achieved through geometry rather than added material, allowing efficient performance as part of a truss system.

These beams connect through standardized nodes, creating a repeatable joint system that allows assembly, disassembly, and reconfiguration over time. Dry connections reinforce reversibility, enabling parts to be removed without affecting the whole. Elevated on concrete piles, the structure remains adaptable to changing site conditions.

01

STRUCTURE ASSEMBLY

PROGRAM LAYOUT DIAGRAM

ONE REPEATABLE UNIT INTERNAL LOGIC

PUBLIC LOBBY FABRICATION LAB MATERIAL ASSEMBLY CONTROLLED

PLASTIC

MATERIAL ASSEMBLY EXPOSED VR / AR GROUP ROOM VR / AR SEPARATE ROOM PHONE ROOMS PRIVATE OFFICES TEAM ROOMS MEETING ROOM BUILDING SUPPORT

WOOD WITH HANDLES

PARKING ELEVATOR EXSISTING BANK AND GAS STATION

ROOF 2

HEATING COILS

UNCOUPLING MEMBRANE

SECOND FLOOR

ROOF 1

FIRST FLOOR

CLT

JOINT AND SUPPORT LOGIC CONNECTOR LEVEL 2

WINDOW VENTING APPLICATION LEVEL 1

TRIANGLE FOLDED SHEET METAL BEAM HEXAGON FOLDED SHEET METAL COLUMN

FLOOR PLATE SUPPORT

GROUND FLOOR

CONCRETE PILES

FOUNDATION

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CODE SYSTEM SET

LIFE SAFETY

ACCESSIBILITY

SYRACUSE ZONING

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LEVEL 1 FLOOR PLAN

LEVEL 2 FLOOR PLAN

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RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL WATER BUFFER

LATERAL SECTION

COOLING

COOLING + FLOOR CONDITIONING

WARMING

WARMING + FLOOR HEATING

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PRIMARY STREET ELEVATION

LONGITUDINAL SECTION

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01

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02 CARVED PLATFORMS AND RETAINING WALLS Location: Elba, Italy Studio: Year 3 - Semester 2 Software: V-Ray Model: Concrete Casting, Wood

Using an existing abandoned retaining wall and dock in Elba, Italy, this project reactivates the site as a community-centered space for active engagement. By carving into the thickness of the retaining wall, the design creates a sequence of both enclosed and open spaces, allowing movement between the elevated level above and the shoreline below.

This intervention transforms the wall from a barrier into a connector, both spatially and socially.

The architectural organization is derived from a reinterpretation of a rubble box system. A primary linear sequence of rooms establishes the core of the project, where each space varies in length and height but maintains a consistent width, creating continuity while allowing for diverse spatial experiences. Secondary sequences branch off from this main spine, expanding across the site and unifying it through a shared geometric logic.

Programmatically, the project centers on a self-sustaining, community-driven experience. Visitors can fish directly from floating docks that extend outward from the building sequence, bringing the act of harvesting into the architecture itself. The catch can then be prepared in open grilling areas integrated into the carved spaces or sold in a designated market zone.

The final layer of the project introduces informal dining and gathering areas, picnic-like spaces that function as a restaurant environment without the commercial structure. It is a place where users cook, share, and occupy the space collectively, removing the traditional boundaries between producer and consumer. The result is an architecture that supports participation, social interaction, and a direct relationship to the landscape and food systems.

02

PROGRAM IN SECTION

PROGRAM DIAGRAM GRILL

DOCKS

LOBBY

GEAR SHOP

CHILDREN ROOM

FISHING DOCK

PICNIC

FISH MARKET

SOLID AND VOID BY PROGRAM

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02

02

02

02

Connector

Triangle Folded Sheet Metal Beam Hexagon Folded Sheet Metal Column

Floor Plate Support

Concrete Piles

Connector

Triangle Folded Sheet Metal Beam

Floor Plate Support

Hexagon Folded Sheet Metal Column

Concrete Piles

02

03 MIGRATING TOWERS Location: Zanibar, Tanzania Studio: Year 2 - Semester 2 Model: Chipboard, Wood, Net

The steel modular grid towers follow the contours of the African topography, allowing the building to step with the landscape and maintain a close relationship to the ground. Their placement is guided by site-specific bird migration paths, positioning each tower where seasonal occupation is most needed. Because these birds are migratory, the architecture responds to time as much as space, operating only when required.

A tensile net system transforms the structure based on use. When installed, the net stretches over the steel frame, softening its rigid geometry and creating enclosed, organic spaces for bird rehabilitation. This flexible layer allows the architecture to adapt to the needs of different species while shifting the spatial experience from fixed to responsive.

When the birds migrate, the net is removed, leaving the steel structure exposed. In this state, the towers function as open shelters for native wildlife. Not all towers are occupied at once, creating a system of buildings that appear and disappear over time. A connecting path links each tower, enabling access for specialists while reinforcing the project as a distributed, adaptive network rather than a single static building.

03

CASE STUDYS

NETTING EXPERIMENTAL MODELS

BUNDANON ART MUSEUM AND BRIDGE

Truss

Metal Mesh

NET

Wood Boards Louvers Roof

MATERIAL LAYERING ANALYSIS

THE GRAND CANYON

0 years

STEEL STRUCTURE

2,000,000 years

5,000,000 years

EROSION DIRECTION AND AMOUNT

MIX CASE STUDY MODEL WOOD WALLS CIRCULATION STAIR

PEDESTRIAN EXTERIOR PATH

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TOWER 1 ELEVATION

1/16"=1'-0'

ft

0 4'

8'

16'

TOWER 2 SECTION

32'

1/16"=1'-0'

ft m

0 4'

8'

0 1 2m

16'

4m

32'

8m

TOWER 3 SECTION

1/16"=1'-0'

ft m

0 4'

8'

0 1 2m

16'

4m

32'

8m

03

03

04 FRAMED ROOMS AND FRAMED HALLWAYS Location: Elureka, California Studio: Year 2 - Semester 1 Model: Lazer Cut Wood pannels

The Eureka Timber Research Center reimagines an existing wood yard as a hub for innovation, conservation, and historical continuity. The project uses timber construction to honor the site’s legacy while advancing sustainable forestry practices.

Designed as an X-shaped structure, the building is formed by two intersecting wooden frames that guide visitors through the site and establish a strong connection to the surrounding water. The entire building operates as a continuous framing system, where structure and architecture are inseparable. Hallways, rooms, and platforms are inserted within this larger structural framework, allowing the program to be organized as a series of spaces embedded within the frame rather than enclosed by independent walls.

The structure employs a nested framing system, where smaller wooden elements create elevated walkways with slatted viewing platforms, allowing visitors to observe timber fabrication processes below. The two arms of the X vary in height to accommodate different programs and intersect at a central atrium that promotes interaction between spaces.

One arm is dedicated to public engagement and education, while the other supports research and production, creating a balance between openness and specialized use

04

STUDY MODELS

FRAME AXON

MODEL OF FRAME AXON

CIRCULATION

PROGRAM

SHAPE Tectonics

McCarthy

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Level 2 Plan 1/16” = 1’

Ground Floor Plan 1/16” = 1’

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04

05 STACKED COLUMNS HOUSING Location: Syracuse, New Yorks Studio: Year 3 - Semester 1 Model: Chipboard

Housing units are organized as vertical elements that grow from and reconnect through a larger floor system, which transitions into columns as it descends. This spatial system creates voids between the housing elements, forming courtyards that structure light, circulation, and shared space. The courtyards act as both physical and social organizers, bringing daylight deep into the housing, allowing for cross ventilation, and creating collective spaces for interaction. Rather than leftover space, they are intentional rooms carved between units, shaping views, movement, and moments of pause within the project.

The building maintains a consistent unit width to align with the surrounding city fabric and frame the Mohawk building, which is redefined as the center of downtown Syracuse. Units are oriented toward the Mohawk and match its height along one edge, reinforcing its presence.

This alignment also emphasizes the stepped profile of the adjacent perpendicular building through the space created between them, with courtyards acting as mediating spaces that visually and spatially connect these conditions.

The larger floor system extends outward to become a bridge, lowering in height to align with the shopping mall in front of the Mohawk. This bridge acts as an entry point into a newly defined urban center. At the same time, the continuous wall of inward-facing housing units establishes a clear boundary, while the courtyards break this mass into a porous system that allows light, air, and movement to pass through.

Together, they define a cohesive yet permeable city campus.

05

SITE SYRACUSE, NY FIGURE STUDY

DOWNTOWN SYRACUSE DENSITY MAP WITH ADDITION

FINAL CITY CAMPUS LAYOUT

ROAD WAY BASED GRID

HOUSING STACKING STRATEGY

FORM WORK USING ALEXANDRA ROAD HOUSING SHAPE

VERTICAL HORIZONTAL

SITE CAMPUS

COLUMN CORNERS U-SHAPE

FORM WORK EXPANDING

SURROUNDING BRIDGE RADIAL

CAMPUS SCALE COMPARISON FINAL UNIT AND BRIDGE DESGIN WITH HEIGHT RELATIONSHIP

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

SYRACUSE DOWNTOWN GRID BASED

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FLOOR TYPE 1

FLOOR TYPE 2

UNIT STACK

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VIEW FROM AXIS

DENSITY ON FINAL MODEL

CORNER UNIT STACK

COURTYARD SYSTEM

CIRCULATION OF HALWAYS AND EGGRESS

130

EGGRESS STAIRS AND ELEVATORS

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5‘

10

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10

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10

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200

HALLWAYS CONNECTED TO COURTYARD

CAMPUS AXIS AND CITY FIGURE GROUND COURTYARDS IN BETWEEN UNIT PACKAGES

COMMERCIAL PROGRAM SPACE

DESIGNED BY OTHER PEOPLE EDGE

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PROGRAM

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06 REPRODUCTIVE RECESS Location: None Studio: Year 4 - Semester 1 Model: Chipboard

The functioning of the American capitalist system relies on the bases of the social pyramid to uphold it. One of those foundations is the realm of unpaid domestic labor. Without domestic labor, wage work would be too expensive a way to live, and capitalism would fail. In the 1960s, the emergence of the postwar nuclear family structure proliferated domestic work and childcare as the role of the woman. The domestication of “family” entrenched the constructed notion that “domestic work” is a woman’s natural duty. The ideals represented by the “nuclear family” reflect a singular society of a specific time and place, yet it still has many acolytes in the modern day.

This project is a critique on this system of “tolerated slavery.” In the 1960s, capitalists attempted to sell more efficient ways of performing domestic tasks to us, and presented them as paradise.

This project parodies the capitalist mentality, by providing a dystopian living space where all the amenities for performing a domestic task are in the same room. Pushing the capitalist notion of “working and living in the same building”, the people (non-gender specific) living in this space perform these service tasks as a means of making a living, and service everyone else in the building. The colorful imagery hides the more morbid designs of this “domestic prison”, the cramped sleeping space, the unsettling thresholds, and the undepicted mundanity and seething of performing the same, unappreciated tasks, day after day. This project seeks to provoke the viewer to question the social constructs that are manifested in this space. This project is a call to action, to question the system of capitalism in place, and yearn for a better way of living in these productive shared spaces.

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06

REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT Location: Syracuse, New York Studio: Year 5 - Semester 1 Software: Excel

Project Overview Mixed-use development in Downtown Syracuse next to Harvey’s Garden 246 apartments 9,950 SF of retail Located in a growing downtown district with strong rental demand and limited new supply Target tenants: young professionals, students, and downtown workers.

Retail mix designed for daily convenience: Starbucks, Sweetgreen, diner, sauna/fitness, convenience store, golf simulator.

Competitive advantage: included parking, modern amenities, and walkable location near other apartments and SU/ESF. Rents positioned slightly premium but market-aligned, supported by amenities and new construction.

Strong long-term feasibility due to stable occupancy trends, growing downtown population, and diversified revenue.

07

REPEATED UNIT LAYOUT FOR EACH FLOOR

UNIT MAKEUP PER FLOOR 20 Studio units 12 One Bedroom units 9 Two Bedroom units

UNIT EXAMPLE FOR LEASING TEAM TO USE

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INTERIOR RENDERS FOR CONSTRUCTION TEAM

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UNIT MIX AND REVENUE

PROFORMA

CONSTRUCTION COSTS

SOURCES AND USES

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